Healthy Almond Cookies

With Chocolate Drizzle

Everyone has their own definition of healthy, and although these cookies are not low calorie, they are made with natural, whole ingredients, and are infinitely better for us than the typical flour-sugar-shortening kind.

Be warned, this recipe yields about 12-16 cookies, so if you want more you'll need to make more than one batch.

For the dough you'll need almond flour, coconut oil, honey, vanilla, salt and baking soda. If you haven't worked with coconut oil before, it is solid when cool and liquid when warm. At about 76°F is where it starts to liquefy. So if your kitchen is hot during the summer, your coconut oil may be liquid all summer, but solid in the winter. In any case, my preferred method for melting is to put the entire jar of coconut oil in a bowl of hot water for several minutes.

Mix all cookie ingredients together with a spoon. If you have time, refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to work with, but it's not necessary. I've done it without and they come out delicious both ways.

Grease a cookie sheet and pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Use a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon to scoop up the dough and place it on the pan. Leave space between the cookies to allow for spreading. Use the back of the measuring spoon to press down gently on the cookies, but don't flatten them entirely.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Set a timer, sit in the front of the oven, do whatever you have to do but do not forget about them. They burn easily and then you will have wasted time and ingredients (and these are more expensive than traditional baking ingredients).

Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool. Do not attempt to pick them up while warm—they will break and crumble. You can stick the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to help them cool more quickly. While you're waiting, you can make the chocolate drizzle.

Whisk the cocoa powder and coconut oil together until there are no lumps. Slowly whisk in the maple syrup and you're done. I like to add a tiny pinch of salt to the drizzle, but that's up to you.

Gently transfer the cookies to a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Pour the chocolate drizzle into a Ziploc bag and make sure it's well sealed. Cut off one of the corners (just a tiny bit) and squeeze the drizzle over the cookies. The secret to a pretty drizzle is to drizzle past the cookie before coming back in the other direction (see picture).

Stick the cookies into the freezer for a few minutes to help the drizzle set. Store in an airtight container for a day or two, or freeze in a Ziploc bag for later. They actually taste really good frozen, too.

Cookie Ingredients

2 cups almond flour

6 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

Chocolate Drizzle Ingredients

2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Directions

Mix all cookie ingredients together with a spoon. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Using a tablespoon-size measuring spoon to scoop the dough. Place cookies an inch or so apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake on 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake.

Let the cookies cool completely before trying to remove them from the pan. (To speed this up, put the tray into the freezer for a few minutes.)

Place cookies on a sheet of wax or parchment paper, with space between them.

Prepare the chocolate drizzle. Whisk the cocoa powder and melted coconut oil together until there are no lumps. Slowly whisk in the maple syrup. Pour mixture into a small Ziploc bag, cut off one corner and drizzle over cookies. Put cookies in the freezer for a few minutes to set the drizzle.

Store cookies in an airtight container for a day or two, or freeze for later. Cookies taste good frozen.

Yields: 12-16 cookies

Have you ever made healthier cookies before? Would you try these? What do you look for in a healthy dessert?

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Miriam Szokovski is the author of the historical novel Exiled Down Under, and a member of the Chabad.org editorial team. She shares her love of cooking, baking and food photography on Chabad.org’s food blog, Cook It Kosher.

Dear Miriam,Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I came across it today and had to try. The cookies came out awesome, even despite me forgetting to get them out on time as you had warned. Even though I did the drizzle, the actual cookie is so good, it can stand alone and be just as yummy!PS: Being not a thorough recipe instructions reader, I did not chill the cookies and spooned them onto the cookie sheet, all came out great!
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